STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM

It's that time of year again! Strawberry season is upon us! For you folks in the cold North, you still have another month to wait for berries! Someone gave me a bunch of "leftover" berries the other day and it was so many that my first thought was to make freezer jam with them! I ended up making 20 (1/2 pint) containers and still had enough left over to make a batch of strawberry shortcake! WooHoo!
Strawberry freezer jam is so quick and easy to make! And makes such a nice gift when you pair it w/ a loaf of homemade bread or biscuits. To make preparing the berries quicker, I chop mine in my food processor. But you could mash your berries with a potato masher or just mash them with your hands even. At any rate, any work that goes into making the jam is WELL worth the effort!

STRAWBERRY FREEZER JAM

2 cups  crushed strawberries (buy 1 qt. fully ripe strawberries)

4 cups  sugar, measured into separate bowl

3/4 cup  water

1 pkg.  SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin

 

RINSE 5 (1-cup) plastic containers and lids with boiling water. Dry thoroughly. Discard stems. Crush strawberries thoroughly, 1 cup at a time. Measure exactly 2 cups prepared fruit into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.  

 

MIX water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring 1 min. Add to fruit mixture; stir 3 min. or until most the sugar is dissolved. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)

 

FILL containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or in freezer up to 1 year. (If frozen, thaw in refrigerator before using.)

 

*I'm still trying to master the low sugar version. I made both kinds yesterday. The regular one set up quite nicely but the low sugar one did not. I'm working on fixing it and figuring out what I did wrong. 

If I can't fix it, I'll have 8 jars of ice cream topping to give away as gifts! When life hands you runny jam, make ice cream sundaes!  :-)   

OVEN SLIDERS

I know, I know.... Don't grill me on the meaning of "slider." I've read all the debates on the true meaning of a slider. The trend now though, is that any mini sandwich can be called a slider, so the name stands. You've probably seen this recipe circulating on the internet. Some are calling them "funeral" sandwiches. They are way too good to be saddled w/ such a sad name though. When I first ran across this recipe, I was intrigued but also a bit skeptical because of the sauce recipe that gets poured over the top. My skepticism won out and I second guessed the sauce recipe. I timidly "brushed" the sauce over the top of the buns, rather than pouring it over the top. One warm, delicious bite and I immediately regretted not using all of the sauce! I have made these several times now and every time, I get asked for the recipe. I've made them for a Superbowl party, 2 funerals, a birthday party, etc... They are just a good all around, easy sandwich to fix and it serves a large group easily. I have used different varieties of meat and cheese to make these. The roast beef and provolone is a good one! Turkey and cheddar. Ham and swiss, etc... Plus..... one of my favorite features - you can prep them the night before! Oh yeah! A Pastor's wife's dream recipe! :-)

OVEN SLIDERS

1 package of King's Hawaiian Rolls

1/2-1 lb. deli ham, turkey or roast beef

Swiss cheese, Cheddar or Provolone, sliced thin

1/2 c. butter, melted

3 T. Worcestershire sauce

2 T. mustard

2 T. brown sugar

dash of onion powder

Cut rolls in half and lay bottoms on baking pan. Layer the deli meat slices, then cheese and place the top half of the buns back on.Make sure the rolls are separated a bit on the pan, so the sauce can run down the sides of the sandwiches.

 

Mix together the melted butter, Worcestershire, mustard, brown sugar and onion powder. Pour the whole works over the buns, drenching each one. Cover tightly and marinade anywhere from 4-24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes,uncovered,or until cheese is melted and bun tops are a bit golden. 

 

Lastly - have recipe printed and ready to hand out! :-)

CHORIZO PEPPER HAND PIES

I knew my kids and grandbabies were all coming home to spend a few days over the 4th of July holiday. So I busily perused cookbooks and magazines for tasty new treats and snacks to serve while they were here. I ran across this one and it sounded so delicious and filling. They were a bit time consuming, but well worth the effort. Tons of flavor! I had never cooked with Chorizo sausage before - it had a very different texture than sausage as we Americans know it. Also, it's very greasy, so you have to drain it well. I also had never cooked with  queso fresco. It was very different from any other cheese I have ever used - but very delicious and it was amazing how it cooked right up into the meat and thickened it. And what can you say about puff pastry? What's not to love about that stuff?! Add these to your next family get together or fellowship. They are sure to be a hit!

CHORIZO PEPPER HAND PIES

1 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 of a yellow sweet pepper, seeded and chopped
5 oz of uncooked chorizo sausage
1/2 cup chopped tomato, fresh or canned
1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
4 oz grated queso fresco
1 (17 oz) pkg frozen puff pastry sheets (2 sheets) thawed
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp. milk
Salsa, taco sauce, sour cream (all optional) for garnish or dipping

For filling: In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, and sweet pepper. Cook 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add Chorizo. Cook 5 minutes or until no longer pink, breaking up sausage and stirring occasionally. Drain fat. Return to heat. Add tomato, oregano and cumin. Simmer uncovered 5 - 8 minutes or until liquid is evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and let cool. Add the queso fresco and stir to combine.
Preheat oven to 400. On a floured surface with a floured rolling pin, roll puff pastry sheet to 1/8" thick. With a 3 1/2" round cookie cutter, cut 24 circles. Place 1 Tblsp filling in center of each circle. Combine beaten egg yolk with milk. Brush edges of half the circle with egg wash. Fold circle over to enclose filling; pinch edges together to seal. Brush tops with egg wash. Place on an ungreased baking sheet (I used my PC stone and it worked wonderful!); Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown.
Serve warm with toppers and dips of your choice.

Make ahead: Unbaked or baked hand pies can be made well in advance and frozen. Remove from freezer; place on ungreased baking sheets in single layers. For frozen unbaked pies, bake 17 - 19 minutes. If baked before freezing, reheat 5 - 6 minutes on top rack of 400 degree oven.

Yield: 24 pies

ZESTY PULLED PORK SANDWICHES W/ COLESLAW

Oh how I wish this was a better pic - and oh how I wish you could smell this pic! haha This is one delicious sandwich! My Honey makes a mean smoked pulled pork, but he is out of state this week! So I had to come up with an oven version of pulled pork. This one was a winner! As you read down through the recipe for the dry rub and the liquid portion, don't be skeptical like me! haha I read it, and thought WOW 2 Tablespoons of black pepper?! But.... I threw caution to the wind and just went with it. And am I ever glad I did! This was just sooooo good! IF you have leftovers, be sure to pour the leftover juice, that the meat cooked in, over the leftover meat, before you refrigerate it. It will be extra juicy when you warm it up!
Also - I have NEVER tried coleslaw on a pulled pork sandwich before (I tend to be a bit skeptical about new things) but my daughter in law and daughters all urged me to try it.... I'll never eat it without the coleslaw again! It was that good!

ZESTY PULLED PORK SANDWICHES W/ COLESLAW

2 Tablespoons salt
2 Tablespoons black pepper
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons paprika
1/2 Tablespoon cayenne pepper

4 pound shoulder pork roast (boston butt would work too)

2 cups apple juice
1 cup apple cider vinegar (trust me on this)
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
1/2 Tablespoon liquid smoke
1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder

6 soft, deli style hamburger buns
Bbq sauce
Coleslaw (recipe follows)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Use a spoon to sprinkle the dry rub over each side of the meat, using only your left hand, press the rub into the pork, then rub it in good. Sprinkle it on and rub it into all 4 sides of the pork. If you only use 1 hand to rub the pork, then whatever dry rub you have leftover won't be tainted from pork juice. Seal up the remainder of the dry rub ingredients in a zip top bag and store it in your pantry until you need it again. Cover the seasoned pork with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. *NOTE* I was rather in a hurry this day and skipped the refrigeration step and it still turned out fine. I'll try this on another day when I'm not so hurried.

Combine liquid ingredients and the garlic powder in a large measuring pitcher, pour into a large dutch oven. (I used a porcelain coated, cast iron dutch oven and it worked wonderful!) Unwrap the pork and place it in the dutch oven with the liquid. Lightly cover the pork with a piece of aluminum foil, and then place the lid on the pot. Roast in oven for 4 hours or until fork tender and shreds easily. Brush the meat with the cooking liquid every hour.
Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle. Shred the pork with a fork or tongs into bite size pieces. Serve on toasted hamburger buns and top with Bbq sauce and coleslaw.

COLESLAW

1 (12 oz) bag rainbow slaw (Green Giant)
1 (12 oz) bag broccoli slaw (Green Giant)
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
2 green onions (white and green parts) chopped
1 fresh red chile, sliced (I substituted 1/4 of a poblano)

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1 lemon juiced
Pinch sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Several dashes hot sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

*Special Note* If you are pressed for time, Marie's coleslaw dressing is the closest substitute for this dressing recipe. You just might want to add the few dashes of hot sauce to it before you mix it into the slaw.

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the rainbow slaw, broccoli slaw, red onion, green onions, and chile in a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the mayo, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and sugar. Pour the dressing over the cabbage mixture and toss gently to mix. Season the coleslaw with the celery seeds, hot sauce, salt and black pepper. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

SATURDAY NIGHT CONEY DOGS

My Honey LOVES Coney dogs, but you can't find a good coney place within 2 hours of here! So, he does what any red blooded, American man would do, he makes his own! And it is REALLY good! So easy and it tastes so much like the coneys you get in a regular coney dog shop. We don't eat a lot of processed food or even hot dogs. But once in a while you just get a hankerin' for a good coney! If you have any leftover sauce, it freezes well.

SATURDAY NIGHT CONEY DOGS

Good casing hog dogs - Koegels are the best for these coneys

Coney Sauce:

1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp margarine (he used all butter, since we don't use margarine)
1 1/2 lbs. LEAN ground beef
2 medium onions, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
3 Tbsp Chili powder
1 Tbsp prepared mustard
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 (6 oz) can water
13 to 16 cheap, skinless hot dogs
Salt and pepper to taste

DO NOT brown the ground beef before using. Combine ALL ingredients, except cheap hot dogs, in a large pot and simmer until thick. Grind the cheap hot dogs in a food processor and then stir them into the meat mixture, cook 15 minutes longer.

Use over GOOD casing hot dogs, like Koegels, with chopped onion and mustard. The big secret in this recipe is the cheap ground hot dogs.

SALSA BURGERS

I love burgers, but am not too fond of plain ol' boring burgers. LOL I found this recipe a couple years ago and we just love them. They are SO moist and flavorful. They don't do real well on the grill though, because they fall apart easily. I like to do these ones in the skillet. My Honey has done them on the grill before, but usually there will be pieces falling off into the grate. I topped these with Provolone tonight and WOW, they were so good! For those of you that are dieting, you could easily replace the beef with ground turkey and use low fat cheese.

SALSA BURGERS

1 lb ground chuck
1/2 cup salsa (mild, medium or hot, it's your choice)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1/4 tsp. ground Cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper medley
Sliced provolone cheese

Salsa
Ranch dressing

In a mixing bowl, combine the ground chuck, 1/2 cup salsa, shredded cheddar, Cumin, salt and pepper. Mix with hands and form into 4 patties. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Spray it with cooking spray. Carefully lay the patties in the skillet and cook over med - low heat for several minutes on each side, until done. This is what they look like as they are frying in the skillet. You can see the flecks of veggies in the salsa, and the little shreds of cheese. Mmm! When the burgers are done, top with a slice of Provolone cheese and cover with a lid (or if you don't have a lid that big, use a pizza pan like I do). Butter your hamburger bun and toast it nice and crisp on a griddle. In a separate small mixing bowl, combine equal parts of salsa and prepared ranch dressing. Place burger on bun and top with the salsa/ranch dressing.
Serves 4

*WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE?* Now will you share with me, what your favorite burger is? Everybody does something different and I just love to hear your ideas! And don't be afraid to include the recipe in your comment. *hint hint* LOL

CHICKEN QUESADILLA

Don't you just love it when someone else does the cooking for you?! I feel so spoiled. My Honey fried a batch of delicious catfish last night, and then tonight my daughter Sarah made these wonderful chicken quesadillas. They are super easy, and you've probably made them before, but just in case you haven't, here is the low-down on them, so you can try them some time. These would be another good S.N.A.C. snack! Because I wasn't doing the cooking, I was free to roam around, with the camera, and snap "play by play" pics!

CHICKEN QUESADILLAS

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
Olive oil
McCormick's Fajita seasoning
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 cups shredded Colby Jack / Cheddar cheese (whatever your favorite cheese is)
1 pkg. Manny's whole wheat taco shells (burrito size)

Heat a heavy skillet over med. high, drizzle olive oil generously over the bottom and place chicken chunks into the oil. Season heavily (sprinkle them 2 or 3 times) with McCormick's Fajita seasoning. Cook 4 to 5 minutes until chicken is done. stirring occasionally. In separate iron skillet, heat olive oil in bottom of pan and place diced onions and peppers. Cook until tender and slightly carmelized. Dump onions and peppers into the cooked chicken and stir to combine. Keep warm. Scrape out the skillet that you fried the onions and peppers in, as best you can with a spatula, because you will be using that skillet to cook the quesadillas in.Now, using the same skillet you used for the onions & peppers (it's already heated and well seasoned) plus, you don't have to dirty another pan, place 1 taco shell in the bottom of the pan, place a handful of shredded cheese on the shell, then a couple spoonfuls of the chicken mixture,then another handful of cheese,then top with another taco shell.Now place a clean, medium size iron skillet on top (or some other heavy object - use your imagination). Don't make fun of my top iron skillet! I know it's ugly. These things take a beating around here! They get used ALL the time. Heat for 1 minute or when golden, remove the top iron skillet, flip the quesadilla (when you flip it, be sure to hold the top shell in place w/ your hand, since the cheese isn't melted on top yet and it may slide. Replace the medium iron skillet and cook the other side for 1 minute or when golden. Remove the skillet and the quesadilla. Using a pizza cutter, cut the quesadilla into quarters and serve immediately. My girls like to serve it with either sour cream or ranch dressing.
*Be sure to use a small drizzle of olive oil in the skillet before you cook each quesadilla - you don't want the shells to stick to the pan.
Makes 4 whole quesadillas.

CROCKPOT RIBS

This recipe is compliments of my friend Chris. Thanks for letting me share this one on here Chris! It's a real keeper, that's for sure!
I'm not a big crockpot user, but I will definitely be making this one again. It got a big thumbs up from my family. I planned to be gone all day yesterday, so I put these in just before I left that morning. It was a Wednesday, so I didn't want to be cut short on time for dinner prep before church that night. I got back home about 3:30 p.m. just as a HUGE storm hit and knocked out our power. Thankfully the ribs were done and stayed hot forever, it seems, in my crockpot. It was too late to try to eat before church, so we ate afterwards. We lit our battery operated lanterns while my son fired up the gas grill outside (they were without power too, so we all ate together). I chopped up some potatoes & onions, drizzled my trusty iron skillet with olive oil, and dumped in all the potatoes and onions, threw on several spoons of butter and set the skillet directly on the grill grate. Just as the skillet got nice and hot and the potatoes started to sizzle, the power came back on! So I brought them back inside and finished them on the stove top. The ribs, were nice and fork tender, actually falling off the bone tender. I didn't intend to make sandwiches out of the ribs, but most of us pulled out a portion and kind of shredded it to put on a bun. My Honey is a meat "purist" though, and he just ate the ribs by themselves. This is what they looked like when I opened the crockpot to have a peek. You can see where my Honey has picked at one of them with a fork. *hehe* The pic at the very top, is a sandwich I made for lunch the next day! Mmm! They were excellent both ways. I highly recommend this recipe!

CROCKPOT RIBS

4-5 lbs. spare ribs, cut into 2-rib pieces (or whatever your favorite rib portion is)
(You can also substitute chicken breasts or boneless thighs, just skip the browning step)
1 C ketchup
2-3 shakes Frank's hot sauce (or whatever your favorite kind is)
1/4 C cider vinegar
1/4 C packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 small onion, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 400. Place spareribs on a rack in a shallow pan (I just put them on a cookie sheet, because I don't have a rack). Brown in oven for 15 minutes, turn and brown another 15 minutes. Drain fat. In a wide bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Dip each rib piece in sauce and place in crock pot, pour remaining sauce over ribs. Cover and cook on low about 6 hours or until ribs are tender.

STEAK AND ONION HOAGIE

OK those of you who lurk on the same cooking sites I do, have probably already figured out that this recipe isn't original with me. But it's a new family favorite in our home! I like to take recipes like this one and make it my own by changing a thing here & there. With this one, I added FRESH mozzarella cheese. One of the neat things about this recipe is, you can substitute chicken! we have a Summer guest, that cannot eat beef, so I prepared a small portion for her tonight, using chicken, and it is equally delicious! But be sure NOT to overcook your chicken. I used the BS chicken breast tenders. You also don't want to overcook the cube steak for this either, as that will make your meat too tough. I served this with a big ol' batch of roasted veggies! YUM!

STEAK AND ONION HOAGIE

2 - 3 lbs Cube steak, tenderized round steak
1 large onion, sliced
4 Whole wheat bolo's (smaller than a sub bun)
Butter
Lawry's seasoned salt
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
5 - 6 shakes Frank's hot sauce
Fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced (or provolone is good too)
*Optional: 1 can sliced mushrooms
In large skillet, over medium heat, melt 2 Tblsp butter. Add sliced onions and cook until soft and slightly carmelized. If you are adding mushrooms to the hoagies, add those to the onions now and stir until they are warmed through. Remove onion mixture from pan and set aside.
Slice cube steak against the grain, in strips as you would for stir fry. Season with Lawry's.
In same skillet you prepared the onions in, add 2 Tblsp butter and strips of beef. Cook beef in single layer in pan. Cook one side until it's brown and then flip and cook other side. About a minute or two for each side.
Add 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce, 5 - 6 shakes of Frank's hot sauce (or tabasco), a little more butter (1 or 2 Tblsp). Add cooked onions to the skillet with the meat. Stir to combine.
Slice your bolo rolls nearly in half, but keeping them intact. Butter them liberally. Heat a griddle pan good and hot and brown the rolls until they are good and crisp, but not burned. You need them as crisp as you can get them, because if they aren't, the juice from the meat will make them a soggy mess. To assemble: lay browned roll on plate, crisp side up. Place steak and onion mixture on roll, followed by a spoonful of juice. Now lay 2 slices of fresh mozzarella cheese on top and close the bun. Cut in half and be prepared to enjoy!

INSIDE OUT BURGER

This is a HEARTY burger. We had these for dinner one night last week and all that was needed to complete the "meal" was a light green salad. The flavor combination is out of this world. So much nicer than a plain, ol' boring hamburger. The only difference was, I didn't fry ours on the stove. My Honey grilled them outside on our gas grill. We love the taste of grilled food and use ours year round, even here in MI.

1/4 pound bacon, chopped
1/2 cup minced red onions
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds ground chuck, 80/20 mix
1/2 pound Cheddar thinly sliced, about 8 slices
4 kaiser rolls, split and toasted (I buttered and grilled ours)
In a medium pan over medium to high heat, add bacon and onions, cook until the bacon is rendered but not crisp. Remove the bacon mixture to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and cool.

Divide ground chuck into 8 equal parts. Form into a loose ball, and create 4-inch patties. Layer 1 piece of cheese onto the center of 1 patty. Top with 1/4 bacon mixture, another slice of cheese, then add another patty on top and gently seal edges and form into a patty, about 4 inches wide and 1 1/2 inches high. Repeat with the remaining patties to make a total of 4 large patties.

Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat. Place all 4 patties in the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on 1 side, then gently turn over and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and pop it in a 250 degree F oven for 10 minutes.

Optional: These can also be grilled on your gas or charcoal grill.

GRILLED PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY

We've all heard of Elvis' Peanut Butter, Jelly and Banana sandwich, and that one's a real favorite of mine, especially when it's on toast. I also like peanut butter toast with honey and banana slices on it! Mmm! My Honey loves peanut butter, jelly and Miracle whip sandwiches! Blech! My brother-in-law used to eat peanut butter and ONION sandwiches! Double Blech!The variations of Peanut butter and .... sandwiches are endless. And I confess this one isn't rocket science. But more times than not when I mention this sandwich to people, they look at me like I'm crazy. It's so simple, but so yummy. We went to visit my sister in law and her family in Brazil a few years ago and we told them about it, and it became one of their favorites as well. It makes a quick Sunday night snack. When you want something other than popcorn! LOL Make sure you have a tall, cold glass of milk standing by!

What's YOUR favorite peanut butter sandwich combo? I'd love to hear them all. Send me a comment telling me your favorite.

GRILLED PEANUT BUTTER AND JELLY

2 slices of bread - I like Cracked wheat
JIF Peanut butter
Welch's grape jelly
Softened butter

Slather one slice of the bread with JIF peanut butter and the other with grape jelly. Put the two slices together to make your PB & J sandwich. Heat a griddle to med - high on the stove. Butter one side of your sandwich liberally and place it butter side down on the griddle. Now butter the other side that is facing up. Cook it just like you would a grilled cheese - until it is a nice golden brown. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk.